Peter Barnes | Matthew 27:15-26
SERMON NOTES
A Bitter Exchange
Matthew 27:15-26
Martin Luther wrote of the ‘sweet exchange’ where Christ dies for sinners. This is the bitter exchange where a murderous criminal is released and the Son of God put to death. ‘Bar’ means ‘son of’; ‘Abba’ means ‘father’ – so Barabbas may possibly have been the son of a rabbi (cf. Acts 4:36). What will we do with Jesus, called the Christ? (27:22)
1. We can choose any substitute.
– 27:15-18, 21-23, 25; they reject the one who only did good (Acts 10:38)
– they were envious (27:18; 1 Pet.2:1), irrational (27:23; John 15:25; see Acts 19:23, 29-30, 32-34 for mob rule), and immovable (27:25)
2. We can listen to God’s voice.
– 27:19; Rom.2:15; we do not know anything more about Pilate’s wife
– may or may not be obviously supernatural as in Matt.1:20; 2:12, 13, 19
3. We can pretend to be clean.
– 27:24 (echoes Ps.26:6); J. C. Ryle: ‘Like dead fish, they float with the tide.’